Monroe-doctrine versus Trump-doctrine
In 1823, with the Monroe Doctrine, the United States made it clear that European interference in America was no longer accepted. What exactly did this political principle entail, and what purpose did it serve within American foreign policy? Is there a difference compared to the Trump Doctrine?
Monroe-doctrine
The Monroe Doctrine was a principle in the foreign policy of the United States from the 19th century. The term is derived from a speech delivered by American President James Monroe to the American Congress in 1823. Monroe declared any form of European interference in the Western Hemisphere taboo, by which he meant political intervention in the newly independent nations of South America and new attempts to colonize America. Monroe did, however, promise to respect the existing colonies held by the European powers.
(This Liberty Issue stamp depicts James Monroe (1758–1831), the fifth president of the United States. Jefferson is one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He was born in the colony of Virginia in 1758. Monroe served in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He held elected positions in the Virginia House of Representatives, the Continental Congress, the United States Senate, and as Governor of Virginia. He was appointed minister to France in 1794 and played a key role in the negotiations regarding the Louisiana Purchase. Monroe was elected President of the United States twice and was re-elected in 1820 without opposition. His most famous contribution to foreign policy was the Monroe Doctrine, which viewed European attempts to interfere with the colonies in North and South America as acts of aggression requiring American intervention.)
Monroe's speech was a reaction to the French invasion of Spain, during which the liberal Constitution of Cádiz was suspended in Spain on behalf of the Holy Alliance. The deposed liberals appealed to the Americans to intervene in Spain. In his message to Congress, President Monroe rejected American interference in Spain. At the same time, he warned that European restoration efforts in South America would not be accepted.
With the ban on intervention, Monroe also hoped to thwart potential European attempts to sabotage the American expansion process. The British, the Spanish, and the Russians, in particular, were watched with suspicion because they held adjacent territories on the continent. Furthermore, many colonies in South America had successfully fought for their independence, after which they soon gained diplomatic recognition from the United States. To deter the former colonizers, Spain foremost among them, from bringing the new nations back under their authority, Monroe therefore prohibited colonization in the Western Hemisphere. However, he did respect colonies that had survived the wave of independence.
The Monroe Doctrine was intended defensively, namely to safeguard the internal American expansion process. Monroe's ideas were primarily driven by pragmatism. The United States would not succeed in expanding its territory to approximately its current size until around 1850, through several territorial purchases and wars with Spain and Mexico. Alaska and Hawaii would follow even later.
Trump-doctrine
In early January 2026, US President Donald Trump explicitly referred to the Monroe Doctrine in connection with a military operation that led to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. According to Washington, the Maduro regime had admitted foreign opponents of the United States and had also built up military capabilities that posed a threat to American interests in the region. Following their transfer to the United States, the Venezuelan president and his wife were charged with 'narcoterrorism'.
The day after the operation, Trump stated that developments in Venezuela violated “core principles of American foreign policy” and also referred to history. In speeches and policy documents, the administration spoke of a possible 'Trump Corollary' on the Monroe Doctrine, intended to reaffirm American influence in the Western Hemisphere.
Historians and political scientists have pointed out that the Monroe Doctrine has frequently been cited to legitimize American intervention in Latin America. Moreover, the original nineteenth-century principle reportedly offers no clearly defined legal framework for contemporary military interventions. Source: Historiek.
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